Minimal glove capable of direct and removable adherence to a palm

ABSTRACT

A minimal glove capable of being removably secured to a palm directly, the minimal glove comprises a flexible sheet having a substrate layer, a backing layer having a top surface and a bottom surface and an attachment layer, wherein the flexible sheet is formed substantially in the shape of a human palm, the substrate layer is disposed on the top surface of the backing layer and the attachment layer is disposed on the bottom surface of the backing layer and the attachment layer is configured to be removably attached to the palm directly. The minimal glove further comprises a protective sheet on which the attachment layer is attached such that the attachment layer of the flexible sheet is protected from contamination when the protective sheet is not in use.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

1. The Field of the Invention

The present invention is directed generally to a glove secured to the palm of a hand directly. More specifically, the present invention is directed to a glove removably adhered to the palm of a hand directly.

2. Background Art

Conventional gloves have been used to protect hands for a long time. A conventional glove is typically made in the shape of a hand such that when the glove is disposed over the hand, the glove covers the entire hand to the wrist or beyond and the glove provides some dexterity of the hand. There are also gloves that are designed such that when worn on a hand, the fingers, or another portion of the hand for instance, a portion of the palm and/or the back of the hand are exposed. Prolonged coverage of the hand causes uncomfortable situation as most gloves prevent air flow, causing excessive sweating, odor and unsanitary conditions. A human has two types of sweat glands, apocrine and eccrine. Apocrine glands secrete a thick sweat packed with fatty acids and proteins. They are primarily located where there are hair follicles, such as on the back of a hand. It is this sweat that produces body odor when the normal bacterial flora living on our skin metabolizes it. Sweat glands are also available in a palm and therefore it is natural to have some moisture there. Eccrine glands, on the other hand, produce sweat that is mostly salt, electrolytes and water, and these glands are located all over a human's body, with dense concentrations in a palm. The body uses this sweat to cool itself down, and usually body odor is not associated with palm sweating.

Regardless of the type of sweating, it is imperative that when a glove that is disposed over a hand allows “breathing” of the hand surfaces, wicking of moisture of the interior of the glove to the outside of the glove or the exposure of the hand surfaces to air flow. Even if a glove is constructed from a breathable material, most people do not prefer to wear gloves for an extended period of time as the hand is prone to sweating from all surfaces of the hand and when a situation does not require the use of a glove, one will not be worn although extra protection may be beneficial. For applications where only the palm portion comes in contact with an object while performing a task or the palm being the portion of the body which primarily comes in contact with an object, e.g., when grasping the handlebar of a motorcycle, a steering wheel of a vehicle, etc., while performing a task, several types of fingerless gloves have been made available. However, two problems remain, i.e., the back of hand of a wearer of the glove is typically fully or partially covered.

U.S. Design Pat. No. 567,453 to Fincher discloses a glove with a loop type fastening pad at the palm area. Although the palm area is configured for receiving a device, the fastening pad is attached to a conventional glove that covers a hand in its entirety. By securing the fastening pad to a conventional glove, the benefits of having a minimal glove is therefore not realized. Other references showing conventional full or partial gloves being used as substrate for supporting raised palm patterns include, but not limited to, U.S. Design Pat. Nos. 536,837 to Jaeger, 514,772 to Bevier, 514,771 to Jaeger, 250,739 to Madsen, 379,680 to Fabry.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,335,916 to Nee (hereinafter Nee) discloses a fingerless palm glove used in a game of catch including a hand wrap for covering the palm of the wearer while allowing the free movement of the digits and having a hook material section for use in association with a ball covered in a loop material. By having conventional glove portions, albeit small, the benefits of having a minimal glove is not fully realized. Further, Nee's palm glove includes a fabric to which a palm patch (14 of Nee) is attached. The fabric includes wrist wraps and finger holes for securing the fabric to a hand. Relative movements between the palm glove and the hand can occur as due to the means by which the palm glove is secured to the hand.

U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2013/0212775 of Kusjanovic (hereinafter Kusjanovic) discloses a glove that provides finger dexterity and grip while keeping the wearer's hands warm. The glove includes an exposed tight inner layer on the palm side of the fingertips to provide a good gripping surface with the glove on. The only exposed portion of the tight layer may be on the side of the finger where there are fingerprints, i.e., the palm side. The back side of the glove, where the fingernails and knuckles are, may be covered by a normal glove. The outer layer is cut out on the palm side and attached to the tight layer along the edge of the palm of the hand. The tight layer of the glove could either only be on the fingertips, or could be tight on the entire palm side of the glove to expose the whole palm to the gripping surface. This may require the tight inner lining around the whole hand. Kusjanovic discloses a glove which provides increased dexterity and grip. However, the glove covers a substantial portion of a hand, thereby not providing the benefits afforded using a minimal glove. The Kusjanovic glove is not directly secured to a hand, the glove is therefore still susceptible to relative movements between the glove and a hand and can potentially lead to problems associated with such movements such as bunching of certain portions of the glove. Further, the cut out materials at the fingertips cause reduced grip of the glove to the hand it is disposed, leading to increased relative movements between the glove and a hand.

Thus, there arises a need for a minimal glove that is capable of being secured to a portion of a hand, such as a palm, such that there are no relative movements between the palm glove and the hand to which the palm glove is disposed and the user's hand is minimally covered.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The present invention is directed toward a minimal glove capable of being removably secured to a human palm directly. The minimal glove comprises a flexible sheet having a substrate layer, a backing layer having a top surface and a bottom surface and an attachment layer, wherein the flexible sheet is formed substantially in the shape of a human palm, the substrate layer is disposed on the top surface of the backing layer and the attachment layer is disposed on the bottom surface of the backing layer and the attachment layer is configured to be removably attached to the palm directly. The minimal glove further comprises a protective sheet on which the attachment layer is attached such that the attachment layer of the flexible sheet is protected from contamination when the protective sheet is not in use.

Accordingly, it is a primary object of the present invention to provide a palm glove that covers only an essential portion of a hand, i.e., the palm of the hand without obscuring other portions of a hand, thereby avoiding trapping of perspiration from a hand.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a palm glove that can be secured directly to the palm of a hand which the palm glove is configured to protect, thereby eliminating relative movements of the glove with respect to the palm and potential bunching in the glove materials which can occur if the glove is merely disposed over the hand and secured to the hand merely by friction.

It is another object of the present invention to provide a palm glove that does not require extraneous securing devices, e.g., straps, closures (e.g, hook and loop portions, buttons, etc.), ties and the like.

Whereas there may be many embodiments of the present invention, each embodiment may meet one or more of the foregoing recited objects in any combination. It is not intended that each embodiment will necessarily meet each objective. Thus, having broadly outlined the more important features of the present invention in order that the detailed description thereof may be better understood, and that the present contribution to the art may be better appreciated, there are, of course, additional features of the present invention that will be described herein and will form a part of the subject matter of this specification.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

In order that the manner in which the above-recited and other advantages and objects of the invention are obtained, a more particular description of the invention briefly described above will be rendered by reference to specific embodiments thereof which are illustrated in the appended drawings. Understanding that these drawings depict only typical embodiments of the invention and are not therefore to be considered to be limiting of its scope, the invention will be described and explained with additional specificity and detail through the use of the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a top orthogonal view of a present palm glove arranged to be secured to the palm of a left hand.

FIG. 2 is a top orthogonal view of a present palm glove having been secured to the palm of a left hand.

FIG. 3 is a partially transparent view of a gloved hand, depicting the position of a present palm glove relative to a steering wheel grasped using the hand.

FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of a gloved palm, depicting creases formed in the palm and a present palm glove conforming to the creases.

FIG. 5 is a top orthogonal view of a present palm glove.

FIG. 6 is a side orthogonal view of a present palm glove, depicting the layers used to form the palm glove.

FIG. 7 is a top orthogonal view of a present palm glove having been secured to the palm of a left hand where cushion patches are disposed on portions of the palm glove.

FIG. 8 is a side orthogonal view of a present palm glove having been secured to the palm of a left hand where cushion patches are disposed on portions of the palm glove.

FIG. 9 is a top orthogonal view of another embodiment of the present palm glove having been secured to the palm of a left hand where through apertures are disposed on portions of the palm glove.

FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view of a gloved palm, depicting through apertures in every layer of the glove such that portions of the palm to which the glove is attached are exposed.

PARTS LIST

-   2—glove -   4—substrate layer -   6—backing layer -   8—attachment layer -   10—hand -   12—palm -   14—finger edge -   16—thumb edge -   18—wrist edge -   20—dorsal edge -   22—hypothenar edge -   24—steering wheel -   26—thickness of glove -   28—finger area -   30—thumb area -   32—wrist area -   34—dorsal area -   36—hypothenar area -   38—skin of palm -   40—crease -   42—cushion patch -   44—aperture -   46—protective sheet -   48—indicium

PARTICULAR ADVANTAGES OF THE INVENTION

The present glove requires relatively few steps to construct compared to a conventional full or fingerless glove as fabric/leather-type gloves are made of multiple fabric materials that are stitched or glued together creating multiple seams or joints.

The present glove can be worn year round and in all temperatures or even under a conventional glove if so desired. It also serves as a barrier to transmission of germs to the palm area. In one embodiment, a present glove is disposable as it can be mass produced and produced at low cost. A user of the glove does not need to feel compelled to keep the glove if the glove no longer retains its adhesion properties or when it becomes worn out or contaminated with dirt or germs, e.g., those received at public venues.

In contrast to conventional full gloves, the present palm glove provides targeted protection, i.e., protection that is afforded for the part of a human body desired to be protected. In this case, the desired part to be protected is the palm of a human hand. In contrast to Nee, in order to dispose a functioning portion, i.e., palm patch (14 of Nee) at the palm of a hand, the palm patch is secured to a hand using finger holes (36, 44, 46 of Nee) and tabs (37, 39, 50, 52 of Nee).

The protection of a palm is provided without negative effects of a full glove. When worn over an extended period of time, especially at room or elevated temperature, a full glove can cause excessive perspiration as it traps moisture, even with sweat absorbing or wicking materials, making for uncomfortable and unsanitary conditions for its wearer. It is well known that the palm of a hand can experience sweating just as most parts of the rest of a human body. The Applicant discovered that sweating affects the effectiveness of the present attachment pad little in securing the pad to a palm. Another negative effect of a full glove involves wrinkling or bunching of a glove causing significant problems in the dexterity of the hand as allowed by the glove. Without having a conventional full or fingerless glove, bunching problems do not exist in the present glove. Paragraph [0005] of U.S. Pat. Pub. No. 2009/0077714 of Baacke demonstrates such concerns as follows:

“However, regardless of the particular material utilized to form a glove, oftentimes the glove does not adequately conform to the shape of the hand of the wearer for various reasons, such as the material or materials forming the glove, or the shape of the glove or the shape of the hand of the wearer, among others. In these situations where the glove does not conform to the hand of the wearer, as shown in FIG. 4, when the glove 10′ is flexed by the movement of a hand therein, the material forming the glove will create wrinkles 14′ or bunch, particularly across the palm 12′ of the glove, causing significant problems with regard to the ability of the individual to grasp or hold objects while wearing the glove 10′. In addition, this bunching 14′ will cause premature and uneven wear of certain parts of the glove 10′, namely those portions 16′ that are urged outwardly due the bunching of the glove material, thereby lessening the effective life of the glove 10.”

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF A PREFERRED EMBODIMENT

The term “about” is used herein to mean approximately, roughly, around, or in the region of. When the term “about” is used in conjunction with a numerical range, it modifies that range by extending the boundaries above and below the numerical values set forth. In general, the term “about” is used herein to modify a numerical value above and below the stated value by a variance of 20 percent up or down (higher or lower). FIG. 1 is a top orthogonal view of a present palm glove 2 arranged to be secured to the palm 12 of a left hand 10. FIG. 2 is a top orthogonal view of a present palm glove 2 having been secured to the palm 12 of a left hand 10. A similarly configured glove can be used for a right hand. The glove 2 is configured to cover substantially the entire surface of the palm 12 without affecting the dexterity of the hand 10. The thumb edge 16 of the glove 2 terminates at about the thumb area 30 of the hand 10. The dorsal edge 20 of the glove 2 terminates at about the dorsal area 34 of the hand 10. The finger edge 14 of the glove 2 terminates at about the base of the fingers or finger area 28. The hypothenar edge 22 of the glove 2 terminates at about the hypothenar area 36 of the hand 10. The wrist edge 18 of the glove 2 terminates at about the wrist area 32 of the hand 10. Therefore, the area delineated by the edges 14, 16, 18, 20, 22 is marked by corners A-B-C-D-E as shown in FIG. 2.

FIG. 3 is a partially transparent view of a gloved hand, depicting the position of a present palm glove 2 relative to a steering wheel 24 of a vehicle grasped using the hand 10. The glove 2 protects the hand by isolating the palm portion of the hand from the wheel and provides enhanced grip of the steering wheel, thereby reducing mistakes due to slippage of the hand from the steering wheel. This is particularly effective for professional or long haul drivers as they must maintain hand contact of the steering wheel for long periods of time. The present glove affords grip and protection without covering the entire or most parts of a hand which can cause user discomfort due to perspiration and moisture and/or heat retention in the cavity of a conventional glove. Another benefit includes the avoidance of bunching as disclosed elsewhere herein. FIG. 4 is a partial sectional view of a gloved palm, depicting creases 40 formed in the palm and a present palm glove conforming to the creases 40. As the glove 2 is attached to the skin 38, the profile of the skin 38 follows that of the glove 2, leaving no gaps for relative movements between the glove 2 and the skin 38. This is unlike conventional gloves where one or more portions of a glove can freely slide on a skin surface, creating bunching and other undesired movements relative to the palm.

FIG. 5 is a top orthogonal view of a present palm glove. FIG. 6 is a side orthogonal view of a present palm glove, depicting the layers 4, 6, 8 used to form the palm glove 2. In constructing a present glove 2, a substrate layer 4 is chemically, thermally or mechanically bonded to the top surface of a backing layer 6. An attachment layer 8 (with its attachment surface protected using a protective sheet 46 until the glove is ready for use) is bonded to the bottom surface of the backing layer 6, forming a flexible sheet substantially durable to withstand normal uses for such tasks as driving, mowing and other daily chores. Stencils of various suitable palm patterns and sizes are then overlaid atop the substrate layer. Gloves are then cut out of the flexible sheet. As stitching or bonding on the seams is not required for the present gloves, the process for manufacturing them can be fully automated. This is unlike the process for making conventional gloves where manual alignment of various cut pieces must be made in at least one stage of the manufacturing process. The alignment process of making a conventional glove is typically performed by manual labor as it may be technologically or cost prohibitive to automate such a process. While not in use, the glove 2 may be disposed over a protective sheet 46 with the attachment layer 8 coming directly over the protective sheet 46. It is then imperative that the contact surface of the protective sheet 46 be maintained in a clean condition, such that minimal amounts of contaminants such as lint, dust particles, etc. are transferred to the contact surface of the attachment layer 8.

In one embodiment, the thickness 26 of the present glove 2 is about 1/16 inch. In one embodiment, the substrate layer 4 is a man-made suede available in any colors of consumers' choice. In one embodiment, the substrate layer includes an antimicrobial material.

In one embodiment, the attachment layer 8 includes a skin-safe medical grade adhesive material. It shall be noted that none of conventional gloves are configured to be attached to a portion of a hand using an adhesive material. Attaching a glove directly human skin presents several challenges. It is important that the adhesive includes a skin compatible composition and not be harsh or aggressive towards the skin or cause skin irritation or inflammation. Also it is preferred if the adhesive is compliant with the skin of the wearer such that maximum skin surface contact between the adhesive and the skin is achieved to securely retain the glove 2 on the palm of a hand. Moreover, it is also desirable to provide an adhesive such that the glove can be readily removed from the wearer, without the wearer experiencing any unacceptable pain level or without causing any tearing of the skin. This is particularly important under circumstances where the device is removed and reapplication of the device once or even a number of times is required for example to allow for better fitment of the glove 2 on the palm of a hand, and to ensure the application of such gloves on sensitive skin, e.g. of an elderly wearer. However, on the other hand the desired level of adhesion, albeit painless should of course also be maintained during such multiple applications of the glove.

The problem of achieving the desired adhesion level is further exacerbated under wet skin conditions. In some cases, prior to the placement of the device the skin is cleaned and is usually as a result moist. The currently available adhesives, such as those containing hydrocolloid particles, however often do not immediately strongly adhere to the skin and may need to be held in place until sufficient minimum adhesion occurs.

FIG. 7 is a top orthogonal view of a present palm glove having been secured to the palm of a left hand where cushion patches 42 are disposed on portions of the palm glove 2. FIG. 8 is a side orthogonal view of a present palm glove having been secured to the palm of a left hand where cushion patches 42 are disposed on portions of the palm glove 2. In this embodiment, cushion patches 42 are strategically attached to the substrate layer 4 of the glove 2 to provide comfortable grips to the user. In one embodiment, a cushion patch is constructed from a cotton material and the cushion patch is removably attached to the glove by means of adhesives. In another embodiment, a cushion patch includes gel materials. It shall be noted that the cushion pads 42 are configured sufficiently thin so that the cushion pads do not alter the flexibility of the glove 2 in conforming to the surface curvatures of a palm.

FIG. 9 is a top orthogonal view of another embodiment of the present palm glove 2 having been secured to the palm of a left hand where through apertures 44 are disposed on portions of the palm glove 2. FIG. 10 is a partial sectional view of a gloved palm, depicting through apertures in every layer of the glove 2 such that portions of the palm to which the glove is attached are exposed. Referring to FIG. 9, a plurality of through apertures 44 are disposed along the finger edge 14 and the wrist edge 18. In other embodiments, through apertures may be disposed anywhere on the glove 2. The diameter of the present through apertures 44 preferably range from 1/16 inch to ¼ inch. In forming the through apertures, a glove is first disposed on a rigid support. A punch of the shape and size of the through apertures is then rapidly lowered onto the glove, pressing the glove against the rigid support and cutting small amounts of material from each layer, i.e., the substrate, backing and adhesive layer, to form a through aperture. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 9, there is further provided an indicium for aiding a user in quickly identifying the correct hand (either left or right) to which a glove is applied. As shown, the indicium is an arrow indicating the direction in which a thumb is disposed upon the glove's attachment to a palm. Alternatively but less desirably, an indicium may simply be a letter “R” or “L” for indicating that a glove is configured for a right or left hand, respectively, as the letters convey their meaning in a less intuitive fashion. An indicium may be formed by a process including but not limited to hot stamping and stitching provided that such process does not significantly alter the stiffness of the flexible sheet.

The detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings that show, by way of illustration, specific aspects and embodiments in which the present disclosed embodiments may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice aspects of the present invention. Other embodiments may be utilized, and changes may be made without departing from the scope of the disclosed embodiments. The various embodiments can be combined with one or more other embodiments to form new embodiments. The detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is defined only by the appended claims, with the full scope of equivalents to which they may be entitled. It will be appreciated by those of ordinary skill in the art that any arrangement that is calculated to achieve the same purpose may be substituted for the specific embodiments shown. This application is intended to cover any adaptations or variations of embodiments of the present invention. It is to be understood that the above description is intended to be illustrative, and not restrictive, and that the phraseology or terminology employed herein is for the purpose of description and not of limitation. Combinations of the above embodiments and other embodiments will be apparent to those of skill in the art upon studying the above description. The scope of the present disclosed embodiments includes any other applications in which embodiments of the above structures and fabrication methods are used. The scope of the embodiments should be determined with reference to the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled. 

I claim:
 1. A minimal glove capable of being removably secured to the palm of a human hand directly, said minimal glove comprises: a flexible sheet having a substrate layer, a backing layer having a top surface and a bottom surface and an attachment layer, said flexible sheet is formed substantially in the shape of the palm, said shape is delineated substantially by a thumb edge terminating at about the thumb area the human hand, a dorsal edge terminating at about the dorsal area of the hand, a finger edge terminating at about the base of the finger area, a hypothenar edge terminating at about the hypothenar area of the human hand, a wrist edge terminating at about the wrist area of the human hand, said substrate layer is disposed on said top surface of said backing layer and said attachment layer is disposed on said bottom surface of said backing layer and said attachment layer is configured to be removably attached to the palm directly.
 2. The minimal glove of claim 1, wherein said attachment layer comprises an adhesive material.
 3. The minimal glove of claim 2, wherein said adhesive material comprises a skin-safe medical grade material.
 4. The minimal glove of claim 1, further comprising a protective sheet on which said attachment layer is attached such that said attachment layer of said flexible sheet is protected from contamination when said protective sheet is not in use.
 5. The minimal glove of claim 1, said substrate layer is constructed from an antimicrobial material.
 6. The minimal glove of claim 1, the thickness of said flexible sheet is no more than about 1/16 inch.
 7. The minimal glove of claim 1, further comprising at least one cushion patch configured for removable attachment to said substrate layer.
 8. The minimal glove of claim 7, wherein said at least one cushion patch includes a material selected from the group consisting of cotton and gel materials.
 9. The minimal glove of claim 1, wherein said flexible sheet further comprises at least one through aperture.
 10. The minimal glove of claim 1, further comprising an indicium indicating the palm to which said glove shall be applied.
 11. The minimal glove of claim 1, wherein said minimal glove is disposable.
 12. A minimal glove capable of being removably secured to the palm of a human hand directly, said minimal glove comprises: a flexible sheet having a substrate layer, a backing layer having a top surface and a bottom surface and an attachment layer, said flexible sheet is formed substantially in the shape of the palm, said shape is delineated substantially by a thumb edge terminating at about the thumb area the human hand, a dorsal edge terminating at about the dorsal area of the hand, a finger edge terminating at about the base of the finger area, a hypothenar edge terminating at about the hypothenar area of the human hand, a wrist edge terminating at about the wrist area of the human hand, said substrate layer is disposed on said top surface of said backing layer, said attachment layer is disposed on said bottom surface of said backing layer and said attachment layer is configured to be removably attached to the palm directly and said attachment layer comprises an adhesive material.
 13. The minimal glove of claim 12, wherein said adhesive material comprises a skin-safe medical grade material.
 14. The minimal glove of claim 12, further comprising a protective sheet on which said attachment layer is attached such that said attachment layer of said flexible sheet is protected from contamination when said protective sheet is not in use.
 15. The minimal glove of claim 12, said substrate layer is constructed from an antimicrobial material.
 16. The minimal glove of claim 12, the thickness of said flexible sheet is no more than about 1/16 inch.
 17. The minimal glove of claim 12, further comprising at least one cushion patch configured for removable attachment to said substrate layer.
 18. The minimal glove of claim 17, wherein said at least one cushion patch includes a material selected from the group consisting of cotton and gel materials.
 19. The minimal glove of claim 12, further said flexible sheet further comprises at least one through aperture.
 20. The minimal glove of claim 12, further comprising an indicium indicating the palm to which said glove shall be applied. 